We’ve known, for a while now, that Giovanni Reyna, the son of former USMNT captain Claudio Reyna, is a special talent. Now he’s starting to show Europe how good he is.
With contracts ending on June 30, there's a slew of footballers who'll be free to sign with the club of their choosing in a few days. This is a list of who I believe to be the most valuable free agents on the market. The players range from established veterans to promising youngsters, and while they vary in terms of talent and experience, I feel that evey one of them is capable of making an important contribution to the club they eventually sign for.
Here are my top 10 free agents heading into July.
The latest football clubs’ valuation study has been released by KPMG, revealing the 32 richest soccer teams in Europe as of January 1, 2019. There’s been a shakeup at the top, where Real Madrid has climbed above Manchester United as the world’s most valuable club.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Manchester United’s historic treble-winning season, a Man United Legends vs. Bayern Munich Legends (a rematch of the 1999 Champions League Final) friendly was held at Old Trafford today, featuring the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Lothar Matthaus, Ze Roberto and Ivica Olic.
United hammered the visitors 5-0 thanks to goals from Solskjaer, Dwight Yorke, Nicky Butt, Louis Saha and Beckham.
Here’s the opener from Solskjaer — the current manager of United — after some great wing play from Beckham.
Bayern Munich defeated RB Leipzig 3-0 in the final of the DFB-Pokal on Saturday to secure a domestic double for the first time since 2015-16 (Pep Guardiola’s last season at the club). The goals included a brilliant brace from Robert Lewandowski and a sensational solo effort from Kingsley Coman, but Manuel Neuer also provided two stunning saves while making his first appearance since suffering a calf injury on Apr. 14.
Christian Pulisic played his final match for Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. The 20-year-old American will join Chelsea after agreeing to a deal in January that included loaning the winger back to the Bundesliga. Pulisic provided a neat assist to help Dortmund win, but Die Schwarzgelben fell just short in their quest to dethrone Bayern Munich.
Instead, the day belonged to two other players on their way out: Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.
It says everything about Joshua Kimmich’s ability that when he’s described as the heir to Philipp Lahm at the right back position for both Bayern Munich and Germany, no one bats an eye.
The 24-year-old has captured the Bundesliga title in each of his three full seasons with Bayern, and he shares Lahm’s Cruyffian quality of being able to play pretty much anywhere while still being the best player on the pitch.
What’re you doing on Saturday? Hold that thought, because I’m about to decide for you. At 12:30 p.m. ET, Bayern Munich hosts Borussia Dortmund in a meeting that’ll go a long way toward deciding the Bundesliga title. That match will be broadcast on FOX, and it’ll lead directly in to coverage of Wayne Rooney’s D.C. United hosting Carlos Vela’s Los Angeles FC.
Both of these games are truly captivating, and again, they’re being broadcast on national television!
The UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinal second legs were held across Europe today, and the field has now been trimmed to four after some truly captivating matches between the continent’s biggest clubs.
After defeating Norwegian side LSK Kvinner 3-0 in the first leg, Barcelona took care of business in Lillestrøm by opening the scoring in the seventh minute to doom any hopes of a Kvinner comeback. Barca has advanced to the semis in two of the last three seasons, but the club has never made it to the final.
It’s a bit strange, but for the likes of Real Madrid, PSG, Atlético and Napoli, there’s not much to play for with two months remaining in the season. Maybe a Coupe de France here and a triggering of an Arsenal crisis there, but it’s really silly season time for the aforementioned giants of the European game.